


Soft

by evilwriter37



Series: Whumptober 2020 [9]
Category: DreamWorks Dragons (Cartoon), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Blood, Gen, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:29:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26915173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilwriter37/pseuds/evilwriter37
Summary: The Dragon Riders are taken by the Dragon Hunters for interrogation.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947739
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	Soft

Astrid watched with despair as Hiccup was being led away by Dragon Hunters. Surely they were taking him to Viggo’s quarters, where he’d be tortured for information. 

“No!” Astrid cried, wrenching herself out of the hands of the Dragon Hunters holding her. They caught her when she got halfway to Hiccup, pulled her back. “Take me instead!” she yelled. “Please! Take me instead!” 

“And what can you give us?” Ryker asked. “Why should we take you over him?”

“Please. I’ll give you what you want. Just don’t touch Hiccup.”

“Astrid, stop!” Hiccup cried. “Let them take me!”

Ryker laughed. “Oh, this is interesting. I have an idea.” He grinned, and Astrid hated the sight of it. “We’ll take you both.”

“No! Just take me!” Astrid struggled as she was brought forward. She wouldn’t be compliant if they didn’t follow her wishes. 

But they didn’t listen, and she and Hiccup were brought into the bowels of the ship, struggling all the while. Viggo was sitting behind a desk when they were brought past the gold-engraved door. He eyed Astrid with curiosity, then Ryker.

“I thought I told you to just bring Hiccup.”

“Yes, well, this one wanted to come instead,” Ryker said, nudging Astrid with the butt of his weapon. “So I thought I would bring both.”

There was a cruel light glinting in Viggo’s eyes. “Oh, this should be fun then. Thank you, Ryker.” He stood, came around the desk to stand in front of Hiccup and Astrid. He folded his hands behind his back, standing taller than the both of them, and gods, he was intimidating. “Now, which one of you is going to give me what I want?”

“Let us go,” Hiccup said. 

“Let you go?” Viggo took Hiccup by the jaw, tilted his face to observe it better. Hiccup being touched by Viggo made Astrid bristle. “Why would I do that?”

“We have nothing to give,” Hiccup said. 

“Except for the Dragon Eye lenses,” Viggo said, releasing Hiccup’s jaw and letting his hand fall. He looked at Astrid. “Hm.” He took her face too, and Astrid flashed her teeth at him in a warning. But, with the way he had her jaw, she couldn’t bite him. “You’re a pretty thing. You have spirit too. Both you and Hiccup.” He let go of Astrid, which was a relief. “Maybe I should use someone else. Someone easier, more malleable.” 

Astrid swallowed. She knew which Dragon Rider Viggo was talking about, and they were all captured on this ship together.

“Ryker, bring me Ingerman.”

Ryker dipped his head, a person to their commander rather than brother to brother. “As you wish.”

He left the room. 

  
  


Fishlegs let Hiccup dab at the cut above his eye. He winced.

“I’m so sorry, Hiccup,” he said. They were still on Viggo’s ship, untied in a cell, and Viggo was letting him get medical attention. “I’m so sorry I spilled it.”

“You tried your best, Fishlegs,” Hiccup said. There was nothing in his voice that betrayed anger, not much in his voice to begin with. It was an odd tone. 

“I… I didn’t mean it,” Fishlegs spluttered. They’d tortured him. He had cuts all over his body. He didn’t know how he’d been able to stand it. He was the softer one of the Dragon Riders. But gods, if only he’d been stronger. If only he hadn’t revealed where the Dragon Eye lenses were. 

“I know you didn’t.” There was compassion in Hiccup’s voice now, in his eyes. He laid a hand over Fishlegs’. “One of us would have cracked eventually. It’s okay.”

“But it’s not okay. I betrayed everyone.”

“Because you were in  _ pain _ . They made you.” Hiccup squeezed Fishlegs’ hand, looked deeply into his eyes. “None of this is your fault.”

Fishlegs nodded, closed his eyes. When he did, he imagined that he wasn’t on a Dragon Hunter ship, was back home with Meatlug nearby. He wasn’t cut up and beaten and bruised. He was safe, and so were his friends. 


End file.
